1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to relaying data and, in particular, to securely relaying data from a data provider to a data subscriber. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a relay system that uses a mail server to securely relay data from a data provider to a data subscriber.
2. Background
The sharing of data between different types of information technology (IT) systems is oftentimes challenged by a number of different issues, such as data formatting issues, interoperability issues, and other types of issues. For example, in some situations, two different systems may produce data of the same content but using different naming conventions and/or formatting techniques.
A new standard has been developed to help resolve the data formatting and interoperability issues that challenge the exchanging of location data, status data, and other types of data on personnel, aircraft, vehicles, equipment, and other types of objects in the aerospace industry. This standard is referred to as “Cursor on Target” (CoT). The Cursor on Target standard comprises an extensible markup language (XML) specification for naming and formatting this type of data. Data that is named and formatted using this standard may be referred to as Cursor on Target data (CoT data).
Currently, Cursor on Target data is sent from one system to another system using a direct communications link between the systems. The system providing the data may be referred to as a Cursor on Target provider and the system receiving the data may be referred to as a Cursor on Target subscriber. Some systems may be configured to function as both a provider and a subscriber. Sending data in a secure manner from a Cursor on Target provider to a Cursor on Target subscriber may require that both the provider and the subscriber be connected to the same closed network or virtual private network (VPN).
However, in some situations, a Cursor on Target provider may not be connected to the same network as a Cursor on Target subscriber. Further, in some cases, a Cursor on Target provider may be implemented in a system configured to be mobile. As a result, connections to a network may be lost during movement of the system.
These issues may prevent some currently available Cursor on Target providers from being able to send data to Cursor on Target subscribers in substantially real-time or near real-time. Additionally, the amount of time and/or processing resources needed to securely send data from the Cursor on Target providers to the Cursor on Target subscribers may be greater than desired.
For example, when multiple Cursor on Target providers are designated to send data to a single Cursor on Target subscriber, a direct communications link may be needed from the subscriber to each of the providers. Establishing and maintaining these direct communications links over the required time period may not always be feasible. Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that takes into account at least some of the issues discussed above, as well as other possible issues.